Toronto’s Dr. Charmaine Lok Wins Prestigious NKF Award for Guideline Work

January 30, 2019, New York, NY - Each year the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) considers the work of hundreds of specialists in the field of nephrology and selects among them those who most exemplify the relentless efforts of the NKF to enhance the lives of patients through action, education and accelerating change.

 

Among those who will be honored at the NKF 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings, which will be held in Boston, MA, May 8-12, will be Charmaine E. Lok, MD, MSc, FRCP(C), Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.

 

She has been named the recipient of the Garabed Eknoyan Award, which was created to recognize individuals who have promoted NKF’s mission to make lives better for people with kidney disease through their exceptional contributions to key NKF initiatives such as the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative or clinical research in the field of kidney disease.

 

“The Garabed Eknoyan Award represents the heart of National Kidney Foundation’s work — improving quality of life for people with kidney disease in the United States and internationally,” Dr. Lok said. “This has been the driving force and focus of my own research and clinical work on multidisciplinary CKD interventions, dialysis and cardiovascular management, as well as my work with the NKF over the past decade. I am truly humbled by this award and honored to accept it in 2019.”

 

In addition to her faculty positions at the University of Toronto, Dr. Lok is also associated with the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University. Dr. Lok is the medical director of both the chronic kidney diseases and hemodialysis programs at the University Health Network - Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada. She is active in raising awareness of CKD and ESKD and its importance in population health. Dr. Lok is the current chair of the NKF-KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Vascular Access Update and has served as program chair of the NKF 2013 Spring Clinical Meetings.  She is also involved in a variety of other local and international scientific and educational programs through CIHR, KFOC, DOPPS, NKF, ASN, VASA, ASDIN, and Kidney CARE Network International. 

 

“Dr. Lok’s many contributions toward NKF’s mission to improve patients’ quality of life is hard to measure, except to say her efforts have touched much of our work,” said NKF President Dr. Holly Kramer. “We are grateful for her commitment to the National Kidney Foundation and the people who are touched by chronic kidney disease. It is an honor to present her with this award.”

 

For the past 27 years, nephrology healthcare professionals from across the country have come to NKF’s Spring Clinical Meetings to learn about the newest developments related to all aspects of nephrology practice; network with colleagues; and present their research findings. The NKF Spring Clinical Meetings are designed for meaningful change in the multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ skills, performance, and patient health outcomes. It is the only conference of its kind that focuses on translating science into practice for the entire healthcare team.  This year’s Spring Clinical Meetings will be held May 8-12 in Boston, MA.

 

Healthcare professionals can join NKF to receive access to tools and resources for both patients and professionals, discounts on professional education, and access to a network of thousands of individuals who treat patients with kidney disease. 

 

In the United States 30 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and most aren’t aware of it.  1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease.  Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history.  People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease.  African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end stage renal disease (kidney failure).